New Delhi (India), April 10, 2023: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by advocate ML Sharma, alleging that ten Indian pharmaceutical firms were selling COVID-19 drugs Remdesivir and Favipiravir without valid licenses and seeking a CBI probe against them.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, said that these issues could not be examined by the court. The plea also sought action against the use of these drugs for COVID-19 treatment without approval.
The court had sought the Center’s reply on the use of Remdesivir and Favipiravir in October 2020 and had received a response that these drugs were approved for use in treating COVID-19.
The petitioner had argued that these drugs were not officially designated as medicines for COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and that their efficacy was still under debate.
The plea had also requested the registration of an FIR by the CBI against the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing and selling these drugs allegedly without valid licenses. However, the bench dismissed the plea and stated that these issues could not be examined by the court.
